April Fools' Daemon
by Keolah
Summary: A superheroine's got to pay the bills. A routine kidnapping case turns into perhaps more than she'd bargained for, however, as a demon-worshipping gang seeks to play the greatest April Fools' prank of all time.
1. A Dark and Stormy Night

**A/N: This is a cyberpunk-ish alternate universe of the now sadly defunct MMORPG, City of Heroes.**

* * *

It was a dark and stormy night. The rain poured down by torrents over the streets of Panacea City. Neon lights flickered against the gloom, illuminating billboards and marking buildings offering goods and services of all varieties.

Sandwiches made with freshly vat-grown ingredients. Cybernetic augmentation to make a person better at everything. Religious loonies offering salvation at reasonable rates. Information brokers selling dirt on almost everyone.

And, of course, heroes. Has a loved one been kidnapped? Valuables stolen? Or just looking to hire a top-of-the-line bodyguard? The billboard proclaimed that any heroing needs could be provided for, for a fee, of course.

Because no one ever helps anyone for free in Panacea City. Well, it's a living.

A figure stood on top of one of the buildings, black cape billowing in the gusting wind. Behind the skin-tight mask, she looked out over the city with a critical eye. Some might think the city was beautiful, with all the twinkling lights and vibrant life, a shining example of hope. Others might think it a wretched hive of scum and villainy, corrupt to the core and covered in slime.

But to Sarah, it was home. And one that she needed a job for soon if she was going to expect to be able to pay the rent on her crappy loft apartment, never mind actually buy groceries so that she wouldn't starve. What's a hero to do? It would be a pathetic life if she had to resort to villainy just to get food to eat.

And enough of standing out in the rain. Her suit might be waterproof, but her shoulder-length brown hair was soaked to the scalp. Maybe she should add a helmet or something sometime.

Sarah stepped back inside and into her apartment. A single bare bulb flickered to life overhead, providing the minimal amount of lighting to display the cheap used furniture that adorned the place. The old futon had seen better days, the couch had probably been dredged up out of a refuse bin, and what passed for a desk was really just a wooden plank on top of a couple of crates with drawers haphazardly set into them as a do-it-yourself job.

After drying herself off a bit, she went over to take a seat in the chair by the desk - it was an old armchair, and one of the arms was missing now. The computer was worth more than everything else in this hole combined, but it was absolutely necessary to get anywhere in this city. And even then, it was an older model, barely adequate for her purposes. But adequate it was. She could only wish that she could afford at least some sort of mobile device - preferably waterproof. Neural implants were always an option, too, but she didn't trust them one bit. So, for the moment, she made do with what she had.

Peeling off her gloves, as it was difficult to type with them, she opened up the current listings for freelance hero jobs in Panacea City. Recovering stolen goods was always a lucrative business, but she preferred to go after the kidnapping cases whenever possible. Altruism didn't always pay as well, but some so-called heroes avoided them because they didn't like having to deal with potentially panicky and stupid civilians who might wind up getting in the way, running all over the place, or practically need their hand held to get out of there to safety. Sure, it was frustrating at times, but at least she knew that she was actually helping people.

Sure enough, there was a kidnapping listing up at the moment. One Wu Yin, a high-ranking employee of Panacea, had gone missing. Sarah cynically had to wonder whether the reward was just so that the corporation could avoid the necessity of training or finding someone else who was as good as him at whatever his job was, or if Panacea was more concerned about the potential for company secrets getting out because of this.

Well, no matter. Whatever the reason, she'd have to move quickly to make sure he was alright and that there wouldn't be any other heroes to swoop in and claim the bounty before her. It would be just her luck that tonight, somebody else might actually feel like getting on the same case as her.

Sarah headed back out to the rooftop. She hadn't rented out the top floor in a ten-story building with no elevator just to use the _stairs_. With a powerful leap, she sprung off into the night. Sometimes, it was nice to have super powers.

The hard, cold, uncaring glare of the city sprawled out all around, but Sarah was focused. She had a job to do now. There were lives to be saved, rights to be wronged, there was justice to be served and hope to restore.

So she wasn't the best hero around. She'd be the first to admit that. But it didn't matter. She wouldn't begrudge doing whatever she could. That was what was important, after all.

Because everyone is the hero of their own story.


	2. Breaking and Entering

Penny woke with a start. Where was she? It was so dark. There weren't any real lights here. Just... torches?

The place felt oppressive and almost swelteringly warm, except for the icy cold manacles that bound her wrists and ankles to a stone slab.

"Where have you taken me?" Penny whimpered. "What are you going to do to me?"

No one responded. She realized that there wasn't anyone else immediately in the room, but she wasn't completely alone down here. There were others nearby, in adjacent rooms or corridors. She could sense them, moving about, feeling dark emotions.

"Where am I?" Penny said softly. "Where is my dad?"

She had to get out of here, somehow. She had to go and save her dad from whatever terrible fate they might have planned for him. Saving _herself_ was just a secondary consideration in that. But she didn't know what to do. Still, she had to do_something_. Even if the effort was ultimately futile, she had to try.

Terrified, Penny clenched her eyes shut and tried to make the world go away.

* * *

Sarah swung across the gap between two buildings and slipped in through the window to Yin's apartment. The window had even been left open, although she supposed the only burglars likely to be breaking into an apartment on the thirty-fourth floor weren't liable to be stopped by a simple window anyway. Or just come in through the door.

The place was smaller and simpler than she'd expected, aside from the machines of designs she didn't recognize all about the room. The floor was all faux wood, the walls all painted an austere off-white, and the furniture, while comfortable enough looking, was hardly plush and luxurious extravagance. Hmm, were all places really so easy to break into? Maybe she should consider taking up squatting if she wound up getting evicted for being unable to pay her bills.

Yellow lights on one of the machines flared to life as she moved past it, and a synthesized voice stated, "Intruder. Intruder alert. Unauthorized presence detected. You have one minute to vacate the area, or you will be removed by force."

Okay, maybe squatting wasn't such a good idea. Or at least, she should restrict it to places where corporate engineers didn't live. Sarah scrambled out of the robot's line of sight in hopes of fooling it into thinking she'd left. The workroom opened into a hallway with a door on either side of it leading into bedrooms, and she ducked into the one on the left.

"Intruder not in line of sight," the robot's voice stated from the next room. "Scanning. Intruder detected within second bedroom."

Crap, it wasn't that easily fooled. She was going to have to disable the thing if she was to get any investigation done here. Sarah stepped out of the bedroom and slipped back over to confront the robot.

"Time's up," the robot said ominously. "Intruder still present. You were warned. Forceful removal routines authorized."

The robot lunged at her with surprising speed for something that looked so bulky and unwieldy. Sarah nimbly danced out of the way, and looked to examine it more closely for some sort of weakness. Standard humanoid design. Two arms, two legs, head. Inbuilt weapons in the arms, unless she missed her guess. Fortunately, it didn't appear to be using them at the moment.

As the robot clanked after her, Sarah leapt over behind it and climbed up onto its back, trying to get a closer look at its circuitry and see if there was a way to shut the thing down without damaging it too badly. Mr. Yin would probably be somewhat cross if she destroyed his robot, after all.

"Intruder apprehended," the robot said. "Removing from premises." It began to walk down the hallway toward the entrance to the apartment.

Sarah flicked out a small blade and tried to pry open a panel on the back of the robot. It was solidly built, however, and she could hardly find a chink in it.

"Attempted tampering detected," the robot said. "Lethal force authorized."

Ah, crap. The lights on the robot switched to red. That was never a good sign. It spun around, flinging her from its back and sending her hurling into a door frame. Sarah grunted, ignoring the pain and scrambling to her feet quickly.

"Rocket launchers armed," the robot said.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to use rocket launchers in the house!?" Sarah exclaimed.

She ducked back into the smaller bedroom, but she doubted that could stop a _rocket launcher_. How paranoidly insane was Yin if he had this sort of defense on his apartment?

"Rocket launcher disarmament command initiated," the robot said. "Please state authorization code."

"Authorization code..." Sarah replied slowly, looking around the room frantically.

This looked like a girl's room, what with the pale pink sheets on the bed. Brightly colored posters adorned the walls, along with - what's this? A birth certificate? Penelope Yin...

"Authorization code, Penny!" Sarah called out.

"Access denied."

"Authorization code, Penny-12-13!" Sarah said.

"Access denied," the robot said.

"Penny-13-12!" Sarah said.

"Access denied."

"Penny-12-13-1999?" Sarah said quickly.

"Access denied."

Crap, maybe it wasn't his daughter's name and birth date. Maybe he'd actually used _sensible_ codes some random person with a modicum of information couldn't guess. "Penny-1999-12-13?"

"Rocket launcher disarmed," the robot said.

Sarah laughed softly. Okay, so he _had_ used his daughter's name and birth date, he'd just used the ISO 8601 date format.

"Intruder still present," the robot said. "Removing from premises."

"Robot, shut down," Sarah said. "Authorization code Penny-1999-12-13."

"Access denied."

That wasn't a good sign. Did this thing have multiple authorization codes on it? All she'd managed to do was disable its weaponry. Well, at least she wouldn't have rockets flying at her, if nothing else.

"Robot, has anyone been in this apartment in the last week?" Sarah asked, evading its arms and darting into the master bedroom.

"Wu Yin and Penelope Yin left the premises at 08:14, March 29th, two days ago," the robot replied. "You entered the premises at 23:03, fourteen minutes ago, and you are still present. No other access has been logged."

The robot was still coming after her, but she was faster and it was only attempting to throw her out rather than actually attack her now. Maybe she could evade it long enough to get a good look around the place.

"Do you know where Wu and Penelope went?" Sarah asked.

"Accessing logs," the robot said. "Recorded voice." It then switched to a man's voice. "Come on, Penny, you'll be late for school." A girl's voice came on next. "Coming, daddy."

Sarah wondered whether the authorization code she'd given had unlocked access to these logs, or if it simply didn't have sensible safeguards. Considering the thing had rocket launchers, she didn't think she was going to make any assumptions about what Mr. Yin considered sensible or not.

The master bedroom was larger and more spacious, but it looked like it used more often as an office than for sleeping. The desk was neatly arranged with stacks of papers divided into layered trays, and a large filing cabinet sat beside it. It seemed Mr. Yin was in the habit of taking his work home with him.

"Intruder," the robot said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know," Sarah said.

The robot had followed her far enough into the room to get to the door. She nimbly darted around the machine and down the hallway, into the living room. A comfortable beige couch faced a large screen, and on the far side of the room, a half-wall separated the living area from the kitchen and dining area.

Today's newspaper lay on the coffee table, blazoned with a headline about a recent corporate hostile takeover. On top of it sat a small mobile device set into a charger. On impulse, she snatched it up and ran for the door, robot still on her heels.

"Intruder has exited the premises," the robot said. "Warning: Missing property detected."

"You're making it very difficult to search for clues," Sarah muttered. "But thanks for the logs. I'll just be going now. I'll bring this back later or return it to its rightful owners, once I can find them."

Sarah headed off down the hallway, glad that there didn't appear to be anyone else out and about at this hour, and doubly glad that it seemed nobody heard her scuffle with the robot. There was a window at the far end of the corridor, looking out over the cityscape. Giving a wave back at the robot, she slid open the window and took a flying leap out.

Hopefully, it would not attempt to pursue her beyond the building. Geez, if it weren't for the robot, she wouldn't have needed to remove the phone from the apartment at all. All she'd wanted to do was look for evidence, and now she was a thief.

Once back in her own apartment, she pulled the phone out from her belt pouch, grabbing a towel to dry herself off with. It was still raining and she wasn't sure if it would be waterproof, and didn't care to take the chance of it.

Looking through the phone's address book, she came upon a number for Penelope Yin. The girl might be missing too, since she certainly wasn't in her bed tonight, assuming she wasn't just out visiting a friend or something. Just to see, she called the number, only to discover that it was a text-only address. Alright, she'd just have to send a text message, then.

Sarah went over to her desk and hooked Yin's phone up to her computer. She didn't want to try to type on a phone if she could at all help it.

"Penny, where are you?" she typed.

She hoped that, wherever she was, the girl was alright. It would be terrible to rescue the father only to discover that something awful had happened to his daughter in the meantime.

A message popped up on the screen momentarily. "Dad? What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm not your father," Sarah replied. "I'm a hero trying to find the two of you and rescue you. What's your status?"

Another message came after a few more seconds, "A hero? Oh, good. I'm okay, more or less. It's dark, and I'm chained up. Let me send you my GPS coordinates."

"How were you captured, and by whom? Tell me what you remember."

Penny texted back, "Dad came to pick me up after school. He came in to talk to the teacher, but on the way back to the car, we got attacked."

"Did you get a look at your assailant?"

"There were three of them, boys, older than me. Like, late teens, early twenties, about? They were dressed like thugs. Black and red, with tattoos. One had a leather vest. And their shirts had like, evil symbols on them."

"Hellions," Sarah replied, scowling as she typed the word. "Alright, Penny. Hold tight. I'm coming for you."

"Don't leave me," Penny texted. "Keep talking, please."

"I can't very well type on a phone while looking for you and fighting Hellions," Sarah typed. "For that matter, they left you your phone when they captured you? And you're using it while chained up?"

"It's an implant, silly," Penny replied. "They couldn't very well remove it from my brain."

"Ah. That would explain why the contact was text-only. Alright, I'll try to keep you appraised of the situation, but don't panic if you don't hear from me for a bit, okay? I'll be there soon."

"Alright..."

Sarah tucked the phone away again and did a quick check of city maps on her computer, matching the coordinates Penny had given her to a building just east of Keyes Park.


	3. Damsel in Distress

She climbed back up onto the roof and into the rain again. A distant crack of thunder rumbled across the sky. Leaping up over toward the fire escape on the next building over, Sarah really hoped that she wasn't going to get caught in the middle of a thunderstorm and struck by lightning. That would be just her luck, after all. Or maybe it wasn't actually a thunderstorm at all, but some super with lightning-based powers having a tussle in the distance.

Jumping from building to building, she made her way across the neighborhood, and landed on the pavement in front of her target. The building looked like nothing more remarkable than a typical apartment complex. A couple lights were on in the upper floors, perhaps people working late into the night or having merely forgotten to turn their lights off. However, somewhere in this building, a gang of demon-worshippers was holding a young girl captive.

Sarah headed inside to look around, wishing that she had something more specific than the building to go from. She was in luck, as a trio of obvious Hellions were standing watch in the lobby, trying to look badass in their black leather and demonic symbols.

"Crap, it's a cape," said one with a backwards baseball cap.

"Shut up," one with a leather vest muttered to him.

"You picked the wrong place to screw with," said the third, in hideous orange pants, raising hands suddenly engulfed in flames.

Sarah tumbled out of the way as a firebolt came toward her, and the two Hellions who didn't have fire powers pulled out guns. She danced around them, grabbing one by the wrist and sending him sprawling into the floor, then dropped the second with a swift kick to the groin. Fire washed over her left side, and she hissed through clenched teeth at the heat.

"You supers are always poking your noses in where they don't belong," said the thug. "Well, eat this!"

Before he could get off another burst of flames, Sarah slammed a hand into his face, then danced aside to avoid his next attack. She swept low, knocking his legs out from under him, and then put her foot against his throat.

"Don't try anything," she warned in a deadly tone. "I can kill you before your demon magic can do much to me."

"Gah! This wasn't how it was supposed to go!" the Hellion said, panicking. "Don't hurt me!"

"Where's Penelope Yin?" Sarah demanded.

"You're here for her? Of course you're here for her. Right. Right. Um..."

"_Where is she_?" Sarah growled. "Before I run out of patience."

"Sub-basement B!" the thug said quickly. "There! I told you! She's in sub-basement B! Now let me go!"

Sarah reluctantly let him up. "Don't let me see those pants again."

Shaking her head, she made her way to the elevator. However, when it arrived, she saw that it didn't have any sub-basement B marked on it. Sarah scowled. Had the Hellion lied to her, or did the elevator simply not go down that far? She headed out to check for stairs, and after wandering around a bit, came upon a staircase leading down into poorly lit basements.

Sarah expected to run across more Hellions that she would have to fight, but instead she almost stumbled over the body of one sprawled at the bottom of the stairs. Frowning and wondering if he'd just passed out drunk, she poked him with a toe and rolled him over to found that he was dead without a mark on him, no indication of injury other than a nosebleed. There were even more dead Hellions further down the corridor, in a condition much like the first.

In a side room that looked to have been converted into a makeshift cell or ritual chamber, she came across a young dark-haired Asian girl firmly affixed to a stone table with iron shackles around her wrists and feet. Sarah hurried over to her with concern, afraid that the girl was dead. Had they killed her already?

Penelope's Yin's eyes blinked open slowly, and Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't appear to have been hurt, just asleep. There weren't any visible signs of injury upon her.

"Hey," Sarah said gently, giving the girl a small, reassuring smile. "I'm here, Penny. I came for you like I said. Are you alright? Let's get you out of those manacles."

"I'm okay," Penny said. "You never told me your name, though."

"Sarah," she replied. "Guess it's only fair, since I know yours."

"Sarah?" Penny repeated. She rubbed her wrists as Sarah got them free. "What's your super name?"

"I don't have one," Sarah said with a shrug, working on the ankles.

"You've got to have a super name. You're a super, aren't you?"

"Yup," Sarah said. "There you go, all free. Let's get out of here, shall we?"

Penny jumped down off the table, and followed her out of the cell. The girl's eyes widened when she saw the bodies. "Wow, did you kill all of them yourself?"

Sarah bit her lower lip. She wanted to mention that they were dead when she'd gotten here, but she wasn't sure how the girl would react. Instead, she simply didn't reply, and went to look around the room for any evidence on where they might have taken Mr. Yin.

"You're deadly! Your super name should totally be Black Widow."

Sarah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I refuse to use an alias quite that cliche. Besides, I'm sure it's already taken, anyway."

"Have you got super strength and speed, or something?" Penny asked.

"No," Sarah said. "I've got super reflexes, willpower, and jumping."

"Jumping?" Penny said dubiously. "What kind of a super power is that?"

"A very useful one."

"Maybe your super name should be Jumping Bean, then! Or Jumping Jill."

"No," Sarah said firmly, smirking.

"Maybe you could change your costume a bit, put on rabbit ears, and call yourself Bouncing Bunny?"

"_No_. Heh. On a serious note, Penny, do you have any idea where they might be keeping your father? Did you overhear them mention anything, maybe?"

Penny sobered and thought for a few moments, then shook her head. "I have no idea."

Sarah sighed. "Alright. We'd best get out of here, then. I'm not finding anything that might point to his location. He doesn't have any implants or anything that he might be able to contact us from?"

Penny shook her head again. "And if you've got his phone, I guess he forgot it at home."

They made it outside, and Sarah held out her arm and said, "Alright, come here and hold on tight."

Sarah was glad that the girl was on the small side for her age. She wrapped her arms around Penny, and once secure, Sarah leapt away for home.

* * *

Penny slumped down onto the sofa in Sarah's apartment. She was still feeling pretty shaken, but she thought she was doing a good job of hiding it under a veneer of jokes and forced cheerfulness. She'd be more comfortable if she were back at home with Dad, but being there alone would be even worse than being here with the hero who had come to her aid.

Sarah had peeled off her mask and gloves. It was a little strange seeing her actual face, but Penny supposed it must be more comfortable.

"You hungry, Penny?" Sarah asked, looking in the old fridge. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Oh..." Penny said, realizing suddenly how empty her stomach felt. "Lunch at school. They didn't feed me anything."

"Two days ago, then. Let's get you something to drink and a bite to eat, shall we?" She put a glass of water in front of Penny and started some water boiling on the stove. "You're not lactose intolerant or anything, are you?" She peered at a box. "Hmm, I don't know that this stuff actually contains real cheese, anyway."

"No, I'm not. Not allergic to anything, either." Penny sipped at her water. "So you don't have a super name. And your name's Sarah. What's the rest of your name?"

"Katsopolis," Sarah replied with a smirk.

"Oh," Penny said, wincing. "I'm sorry."

Sarah snickered softly. "Oh, it's not that bad. It's just very... Greek."

As Penny worked on settling her nerves, she thought about just how they were going to find Dad. What did these Hellions even want with him? She couldn't imagine it was anything good. But had they just grabbed someone random off of the streets, or targeted him specifically? Considering that they hadn't even ended up in the same place, she had to guess that they must want him in particular.

Sarah scooped out two bowls of macaroni and cheese and set one down in front of Penny. "There you go. It's not much, but better than a poke in the eye."

"Thanks," Penny said gratefully, taking a bite and eating thoughtfully. After a minute, she said, "I have an idea on how we might be able to find Dad."

"Let's hear it," Sarah said. "But let me be clear that _I_ am going to rescue your father. _You_ are going to stay here where it's safe. Got that, girl?"

Penny snorted softly. "You're not likely to get her to help without me along, anyway, and I'm not too sure even then."

"Who?" Sarah wondered.

"My mom," Penny said. It was a long shot, even then, but she figured it was their best chance of it. She certainly wasn't about to get left behind if she could help it. She could be a hero, too!

"Your mother?" Sarah repeated, looking thoughtful. "Vanessa Yin? That was the name on your birth certificate, at least..."

"That was her married name," Penny said. "Her and Dad aren't married anymore, and she went back to her maiden name after their divorce. Vanessa DeVore."

Sarah's face was blank, showing no recognition of the name. Penny was a little surprised at that. She'd thought that Mom was somewhat famous among supers. Dad tried to downplay their relationship and talked about her as little as possible.

"Mom's a powerful psychic. If anyone can find Dad, I'm sure she can."

Sarah nodded in understanding, swallowing another bite of mac and cheese. "Do you know where we can get in touch with her?"

"We'd need to find the group she's hanging out with now," Penny said. "They're called the Carnival of Chaos."

* * *

Sarah scowled a little as she scoured the city map on her computer for Carnival activity. This would require heading into territory that would be dangerous for _her_, much less dragging a thirteen year old girl into. She wasn't sure she liked this idea at all.

And then there was Penny. The revelation of her mother's identity explained some things. If Penny had inherited her mother's psychic abilities, that would definitely point to her as the one who killed those Hellions, although it was clear that she didn't realize it and may not have even done so intentionally. It was entirely likely that the only reason she was even still alive long enough to be rescued was because she'd killed them. That train of thought didn't bode well for Wu Yin, unless they wanted him for something other than his death.

"So, where're we going?" Penny asked eagerly.

Sarah sighed. "Looks like the Carnival of Chaos is set up in Overbrook at the moment. We'll need to be careful."

"Why, what's in Overbrook?" Penny wondered.

"Dangerous gangs," Sarah replied. "The Hellions are bad enough. Right now, I'd rather not mess with the Freakshow." At Penny's confused look, she explained, "Cybernetically-enhanced drug-addled lunatics. I barely survived the one time I wandered into their territory by mistake."

"Oh," Penny said, making a face. "Sounds nasty."

"Yeah," Sarah agreed. "I don't suppose there's any easier way to get in touch with her? Cell phone, psychic powers, smoke signals, _something_?"

Penny shook her head. "She doesn't like technology. And even if I were really much of a psychic, there's no way I'd be able to find her myself. I haven't even seen her in years, since we lost touch after the divorce."

So, Sarah thought, Penny realized that she had psychic powers, but vastly underestimated her potential, it seemed. And the girl was completely untrained, unless she missed her guess.

"Alright," Sarah said with a sigh. "No help for it, I suppose. You tired? We can wait until morning if you need sleep."

"I'm good to go," Penny said. "The table was hardly very comfy, but at least I got some rest."

Sarah nodded and pulled her gloves and mask back on. "Let's go, then."

The two of them headed back up to the rooftop. Thankfully, the rain had tapered off while they were eating.

"Alright, better hold tight, and I hope you didn't mind the last ride," Sarah said. "Overbrook's a fair few hops from here."

"Why don't we just take the tram?" Penny wondered.

"Because the tram costs money," Sarah said.

"Oh!" Penny said in realization. "Can we stop back at my apartment to get my tram card, then?"

"Will that work for both of us?"

"I'm not sure," Penny said thoughtfully.

Sarah shrugged, and grabbed a tight hold on Penny. "To your apartment, then."

She leapt off and made her way to the Yins' apartment. She decided to avoid playing around with windows when she had a passenger along, and just landed on the roof. Since Penny lived here, it was probably safe enough to use the elevator.

"Be sure to tell the robot to calm down," Sarah said as they stepped into the elevator.

"Oh, right, that," Penny said. "Dad got a little over-enthusiastic with that, I think."

"You don't say," Sarah said dryly.

The elevator arrived on the proper floor, and Sarah let Penny go first in order to make sure the robot wasn't going to spontaneously decide to start shooting rockets again.

"Warning: Property removed from premises," the robot said as Penny stepped into the apartment. "Intruder. Stolen property."

"Stand down, Blinky!" Penny snapped.

"Welcome home, Penny," the robot - Blinky? - said, quickly switching to a different pre-recorded set of messages. "Did you bring a friend home from school?"

"Yes," Penny said. "This is my friend, Sarah. Don't attack her. And don't worry about the phone, either."

"Please make yourself at home," Blinky said. "Standing down." It trundled back toward the workroom.

"The robot is named Blinky?" Sarah said, raising an eyebrow.

"I apparently named him when I was four," Penny said, smirking as she went in to look around. "He's had a few upgrades since then, though. Aha, here it is." She fished out the card from under the newspaper and pocketed it.

They returned to the roof, and with Penny in hand, Sarah hopped the short way over to the tram station situated on the north side of the park. There weren't many people around at this time of night, and one elderly man reading a newspaper glanced up only for a moment at the sight of someone in skin-tight black leather, a mask, and a cape dropping in out of the sky. Just another day in Panacea City.

After several minutes' wait, a tram heading for Overbrook arrived. The old man paid and stepped inside. Penny swiped her card and passed through the security field after him. Sarah, however, was stopped cold by the shimmering blue forcefield.

"Guess that's not going to work," Penny said. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Sarah said. "Wait for me in Overbrook. I'll get there as soon as I can. Just don't leave the tram station, okay?"

Penny nodded. "Got it."

This worked out just as well, Sarah figured as she stepped out of the tram station. It would be easier for her to jump across the suburbs of Panacea City without a passenger, and if someone shot at her or something, there wouldn't be the risk of Penny getting hurt in the process, too.

Sarah hopped up on top of the building and watched as the tram started to move away from the station. Hmm, maybe there_was_ a quicker way to get there. Before it got too far or picked up too much speed, Sarah leapt off the building and directly onto the roof of the tram.

Hah, this was riding in style! Okay, so it made her feel like a hobo, too, but never mind that. She held on for dear life as the tram reached top speed and the city streaked by in a blur. Ugh, if she slipped or got thrown off at these speeds, it would sting.

By the time the tram screeched to a halt at their destination, Sarah wished that she'd just decided to jump her way over. "I am never doing this again," she muttered as she slid down into the tram station.

"Oh! You're already here!" Penny said as she stepped out of the tram. "That was quick!"

"Don't expect a repeat of that," Sarah said with a smirk. "Let's go pay a visit to your mom."


	4. The Carnival of Chaos

Outside of the station, Sarah debated on whether to try jumping across Overbrook with Penny, or risk heading through on foot. They could keep a lower profile on foot, but it would also be easier to get cornered. After a few moments thought, she decided to walk. If they ran into trouble, she'd grab Penny and leap away to safety.

"No more jumping?" Penny said, following after Sarah as she strode quietly away from the station.

"Not unless there's trouble," Sarah said. "I don't fancy being shot out of the air."

"Is that really a problem?" Penny wondered.

"You wouldn't _believe_ how many times I've been sniped at when trying to jump through some neighborhoods," Sarah replied.

She headed through the streets quietly, keeping close to the walls and staying alert. Whenever she spotted a group of Freaks ahead, she'd avoid drawing attention to her and Penny's presence and take another route. The cybernetically augmented thugs weren't especially subtle, and she could often hear them banging at cars and whooping from two streets over. Even just seeing the profile of their mohawks, cybernetic arms, or a glimpse of their brightly colored clashing clothing was enough to give the Freaks away.

A few times, she could swear that they were being watched. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a woman in a strange mask standing nearby, but at second glance, there was nothing there.

Then, as she was turning around to try a different path, a Freak shimmered into existence in front of her. "Lookie here," said the Freak. "A couple of girlies going for a stroll in Freakshow territory? And they don't look like they're with those Carnies, either."

Crap, did this Freak have some sort of cloaking device, or a teleporter, or what? The group of Freaks that they had been trying to skirt around clanked up from behind into a circle around the two of them. Sarah quickly stepped over to grab onto Penny to get out of here.

"You're not going anywhere, hero girlie," said the head Freak.

He raised his hand toward her, and a burst of electricity shot forth and surrounded her in a restraining bubble to hold her in place.

Sarah gritted her teeth, and with a force of willpower, broke through it and grabbed onto Penny. "No way," she said, and jumped out of the circle of Freaks.

The sound of gunshots and electricity echoed through the air around them, and Sarah tried to shield Penny with her body. She could probably take it, but she doubted the little girl could.

Pain tore through Sarah's right leg. She gritted her teeth. This next landing wasn't going to be fun. She came in onto the roof, but she stumbled as her wounded leg gave out from under her. Trying to keep Penny safe, she fell back onto her bottom and skidded to a halt as though sliding into home base. There were times when she was very thankful for high pain tolerance.

"You're hurt!" Penny said in alarm.

"Don't worry about me," Sarah said. "Hide, now!"

Penny scrambled to take cover behind some ductwork just as some of the Freaks jumped up onto the roof propelled by jet. Sarah swore under her breath. There were four of them that were able to get to the roof easily this way, all of them with extensive and obvious cybernetic enhancements. She wasn't sure if she could take them out, especially wounded like this, but she was damned well going to try.

One Freak charged at her, swinging the massive hammer that had replaced his left arm. Sarah sidestepped and used his momentum to send him falling off the edge of the roof. Another Freak sent a shock of electricity coursing through her, and she barely managed to avoid a wicked curved blade slicing through the air from yet another enemy.

Sarah really wished that Penny could help with her psychic powers. As it was, she was afraid she was just going to get killed here, and then they'd go after the girl once they were done with her. That thought hardened her resolve, and she kept fighting despite all pain. She'd brought Penny into this potentially deadly situation. She wasn't about to let her down now. The three Freaks remaining on the roof grinned wickedly at her, and she took a stance against them. If she was going down, she'd take them out with her.

Suddenly, from the streets below, erupted the crackle of magic and flashes of multi-colored light, accompanied by the surprised cries of Freaks and the sound of battle in a frantic cacophony.

"Crap, the damned Carnies are here," said the third Freak, this one with a vile green mohawk, stepping to the edge to look down. That was a mistake - Sarah took advantage of his distraction to land a kick on his back and sent him flying off the roof. He landed directly on top of another Freak who was fighting what looked like a jester.

"The odds just got a lot more even, punks," Sarah said. She duck the curved blade again and grabbed the next Freak's ankle. "Down you go!" She swept his leg out from under him and shoved him off the roof, too. Three down, one to go.

Ruining her streak of good luck, another burst of electricity suddenly shot her from behind. Stunned, she staggered back, stumbling unsteadily. Her foot slipped, and she followed the Freaks in tumbling toward the street below. She landed on top of one she'd previously thrown off the roof, who was still trying to untangle himself from the other Freak he'd landed on, leaving the three of them sprawled across the ground unceremoniously.

Bright lights sparkled in Sarah's vision, and she blinked slowly, trying to catch her bearings. How much of that was the Carnies' magic, and how much was her seeing stars? No, it was probably just the magic. She rolled away from the Freaks and tried to get back onto her feet. She gritted her teeth against the pain and only managed to make it to her hands and knees before a voice stopped her.

"Don't try to move yet," said a gentle feminine voice above her. Sarah looked up to see a woman in an ornate mask, who knelt down beside her. "My sisters can handle these abominations. You are wounded."

Sarah shook her head. "No. Penny. Penny's up there. I have to help her."

"That won't be necessary," said the Carnie, pointing up at a translucent woman in a dress floating near the rooftop, who attacked the last Freak on the roof with nightmarish horrors.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Sarah allowed herself to relax a bit and settled into a kneeling position. Vanessa DeVore's cohorts seemed to have the situation well in hand. "Thanks for the save."

"Of course," said the woman. She examined Sarah's leg and tended to it with healing magic. Sarah let out a heavy sigh as the wound knitted closed and the pain faded away.

Sarah distantly watched the floating illusionist in the dress, and wondered aloud, "She's not especially shy about hovering around while wearing that, is she. Does she use illusion powers to make sure nobody looks up her dress? Although I suppose the Freaks are too busy to try to sneak a peek."

"Do you normally babble randomly, or are you merely delirious from your injuries?" the Carnie said with some amusement.

"Huh?" Sarah said numbly.

While the woman worked at healing Sarah, the sounds of fighting died down as the other Carnies sent the remaining Freaks scattering into the night. Following the last Freak being tossed off the roof, the illusionist brought Penny back down off the roof and set her gently down on the street.

Penny ran up to Sarah and looked her over. "Oh, thank goodness, you're alright!"

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks to our new friends here," Sarah said, giving a smile to the one who had been healing her.

"I was so scared," Penny said quietly. "I wish I could have done something to fight them, too. I hate being helpless and hiding like that!"

"It's not your fault, Penny," Sarah said. "It was my job to protect you, and I would've screwed that up if it weren't for the cavalry showing up. You ladies have impeccable timing," she added to the Carnies gathering around them.

"The Carnival Mistress sent us," the masked healer said.

"Vanessa DeVore, you mean?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow.

The healer nodded. "She was watching Penelope since she sensed her arrival in Overbrook."

"Oh..." Penny said, eyes widening.

"Can you walk?" the healer asked Sarah as she finished with the healing magic.

"I'll be fine, thanks," Sarah replied, climbing to her feet and testing her leg.

"Then let us be off, before more abominations arrive on the scene," the Carnie said. "Our mistress will want to see you, and you will be safe with the Carnival."

"Of course," Sarah said, nodding in agreement.

Sarah pushed ahead, keeping steady and forcing herself to keep walking through strength of will. She wasn't really in any shape to fight more right now, but she certainly would if it came down to it. It was unlikely the Freaks would bother them with all the Carnies around them, but if they did, she didn't want to just stand by and watch while her new friends to fended them off. She could pull her own weight.

The Carnival grounds were done up with brightly colored lights, making Sarah blink as they came into view. A number of tents scattered about like a small city were decorated in wild patterns and vibrant colors. Despite being the middle of the night, a number of people were milling about the grounds, keeping watch, relaxing, and working. A strongman was adjusting a tent that had almost collapsed. A trio of jesters ate and chatted around a small firepit. A juggler practiced his moves with rings of violet light.

The Carnies led the two of them over to an ornate tent near the middle of the grounds. At the center of the tent, a woman sat cross-legged on a plush purple cushion. She wore a painted mask concealing her face, framed by sweeping black hair. She wore a skin-tight jester's motley adorned with colorful patches, with two long sticks on her back that reminded Sarah of antennae. Sarah immediately thought she recognized her as the one she'd seen glimpses of on the way here.

"I am glad you are here. I am Vanessa DeVore." She nodded to Sarah in greeting and unfolded her legs, rising to her feet. "I thank you for attempting to keep my daughter safe. I had hoped you would be sufficient to ward off the abominations of nature who call themselves the Freakshow. But I feared for the worst when I sensed Penelope's distress."

"Thank you for sending help," Sarah said. "I don't know if I could have taken out all those Freaks by myself."

Vanessa walked over to Penny, placed her hand on her face and looked at her closely. "They've implanted you. Oh, I'm so sorry, my dear Penelope. I wish I had been there to be able to prevent this from happening."

Penny looked at her in confusion. "What? But, I chose this! I begged Dad to let me get implants!"

Vanessa shook her head sadly. "My dear child, you are thirteen. Much too young to make such a decision on your own. You do not yet realize the meaning of such a thing or the potential consequences it might have."

"I don't understand..." Penny said, blinking slowly. "They're really convenient..."

"And yet nothing ever comes without a price," Vanessa said. "They cannot now be removed without causing death or permanent brain damage. Now I can only hope that you have the will to overcome them."

Penny scrunched up her face in confusion.

"Now you're just scaring her," Sarah said, stepping in.

"Fear is a suitable response to danger," Vanessa said. "But few in this city realize the dangers of technology."

"How is technology dangerous?" Sarah wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"If we are not mindful, we will all be enslaved to the rigid order that companies like Panacea seek to establish," Vanessa said. "People will be reduced to nothing more than mere cogs in a gigantic corporate machine. Producing, consuming, turning about in circles, and never questioning what brought them to such a state or how they might break away to seek their own freedom."

Sarah thought that this was nothing more than paranoid conspiracy theories. Vanessa DeVore was clearly insane, and it was no wonder that she and Wu Yin wound up having a falling out resulting in a divorce. But as they needed her help at the moment, Sarah bit her lower lip and kept quiet.

"You do not need to believe," Vanessa says. "I realize that it is a great deal to digest at once. But we can discuss this further at another time if you wish. I believe you came here and risked your lives for another purpose. Is that not so?"

Penny nodded and said, "Dad's been kidnapped."

"The Hellions took him and Penny outside of her school," Sarah explained. "I was able to rescue Penny with the help of those implants you so deride, but I have no idea where they might have taken Mr. Yin."

"I do not know what dark purpose these Hellions intend for Wu, but despite our differences, I do not wish any harm to come to him," Vanessa said.

"Can you find him?" Penny asks, eyes wide with hope, clasping her hands together nervously.

"I will need a focus," Vanessa said. "Something that belongs to him, something he has handled frequently, something that he has touched recently."

Sarah pulled Mr. Yin's mobile phone out of her belt pouch and asked, "Will this work?"

Vanessa gingerly took it from Sarah as though handling a venomous snake. Sarah could imagine that she was probably making a face behind that mask of hers at the moment, too.

"I don't care what you think of technology, unless it interferes with your psychic abilities somehow?" Sarah said with a touch of impatience. "Will it work or not?"

"It will suffice," Vanessa said. "There will be difficulty in pinpointing a specific location with a device such as this, yet I should be able to identify the general vicinity, if the ethereal currents are willing. I will require a few moments."

Vanessa moved back to her cushion, sat cross-legged and held it in both hands in front of her. Sarah shifted uneasily and glanced around the tent while she did that. This place certainly _looked_ like a circus, but she'd seen first-hand just how deadly the Carnies could be when they put their minds to it. They were certainly not people that Sarah was eager to cross if she could help it.

"The spirits have spoken," Vanessa said after several long moments, eyes snapping open and rising to her feet again, and handed the phone back to her. "He is held deep within the caves underneath Keyes Park. He yet lives, although darkness swirls around him. His life is imperiled if he is not saved with due speed. His fate is bleak."

Sarah nodded tersely. She didn't like the idea of venturing into those caves, but there was no help for it. Now that she knew where she was going, it was time to earn her pay.

"Send your Carnies to swoop down into those caves and flush the Hellions out!" Penny said.

"No," Vanessa said. "I am confident in your champion's ability to deal with whatever may arise."

"You're just going to let her go down there all by herself?" Penny said. "I- I'll go and help her, then!"

Sarah shook her head firmly. "You stay here with your mother where it's safe, or I can take you back to your apartment if you want. I'll be fine."

"If I did not believe that she were capable, I would go myself," Vanessa said to Penny. "As it is, I think my people are better served in ensuring that the Freakshow do not cause overmuch trouble at the moment. This day tends to inspire them toward deadly pranks."

"Huh?" Penny said in confusion. "Oh, man, is it April Fool's Day already? I've been out of it for too long. Wow, I didn't realize that so much time had passed since Dad picked me up from school on Friday. Oh... we missed Easter dinner, didn't we..."

"I'm sure the Hellions have some big prank planned themselves," Sarah said. "And I mean to stop them. I'll leave the Freaks to you, Vanessa."

"Go," Vanessa said, nodding. "Penelope will be safe enough here for now."

Penny looked disappointed, and let out a sigh, but also nodded. "Alright, alright..."

Sarah gave them a half-wave, stepped out of the tent, and leapt off into the night. She really hoped that the Freaks didn't decide to try to snipe her out of the air on the way out, but at least she wasn't trying to escort someone safely through dangerous territory this time. On her own, she could at least get away with a lot simply for being quick.

* * *

"Will she really be alright by herself, Mom?" Penny asked nervously. "Or did you just tell her that to make her feel better? I hope she's not going in there all alone just to get killed!"

"Hush, child," Vanessa said, putting a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "I would not have sent her if I did not think she could do it. Now come. Sit with me for a while, dear child. It has been far too long since our paths have been intertwined."

Penny sat down awkwardly on another cushion Vanessa indicated with a gesture, smiling a little. Mom was a bit odd, but she'd really _missed_ her, quirkiness and all.

"And I believe that it is imperative that you begin training immediately," Vanessa said. "Especially now that I know you have been implanted. You need to learn to be able to resist whatever forces might attempt to pull at you in one direction or another."

"Oh!" Penny said brightly. "You're going to teach me how to use my powers? I don't know how good I'll be with them, but I'll certainly try!"

"I believe that you shall do better than you give yourself credit for," Vanessa said. Penny couldn't see her face, but her _voice_was smiling.

"Can I see your face again, Mom?" Penny said quietly. "The mask is pretty and all, but looking at it feels weird."

"I am afraid not," Vanessa said apologetically.

"Why not?" Penny asked, disappointed.

"It is not merely a simple mask," Vanessa said. "It is a powerful artifact which enhances my psychic abilities."

"Oh!" Penny said. "Well, alright, I suppose that's okay then."

"Let us focus our energies and meditate," Vanessa said. "I will show you how to center yourself."

"Meditate? Center myself?" Penny repeated dubiously, making a face. "I want to be a hero like Sarah, and use my powers to help people!"

"Ah, hero worship," Vanessa said, chuckling lightly. "I understand. And you could be a mighty hero one day, if that is the path that you truly desire to follow. However, before you can help anyone else, you must learn how to be fully in control of yourself and your own abilities."

Penny let out a sigh. "Okay, fine. Let's... meditate, then." This sounded really boring, but if Mom said it was necessary, then she supposed it was probably necessary.

"Excellent," Vanessa said. "Let us begin."


	5. Demonfire

Sarah made it out of Overbrook unscathed, and hopped her way across town back toward the Keyes Park area. So it might not be as quick as the tram, but she wasn't going to do _that_ again. She was sure that there wasn't anything to stop someone from doing it for no reason other than anyone who tried it had to be crazy anyway.

Water splashed around her boots as she landed at the edge of the small lake in Keyes Park. The cave Vanessa had told her about had to be around here somewhere. There! Over by the edge of the water and tucked away underneath a couple of large trees, a rickety wooden door marked "Do Not Enter" barricaded the entrance to a dark tunnel. It was clearly only a token discouragement against people wandering in, as it opened readily to permit entrance.

Not wanting to alert the Hellions to her presence by bringing out a light, she waited inside for a few moments to allow her eyes to adjust. However, it wasn't completely dark inside. Further on down the tunnel, there were guttering torches affixed to sconces along the walls.

There was no way that she would be able to slip past every thug down here, but she'd avoid as many as she could and try to silence the ones she couldn't quickly and quietly.

Once group of Hellions fell without a sound, but stealth only lasted for so long. Shots echoed through the confined space, and shouts rang out as Hellion blood brothers rushed to one another's aid. Sarah fought them off, ducking and weaving to avoid their attacks when she could and making herself ignore the pain of their blows when she couldn't.

Sarah pushed forward, hoping that each delay wouldn't make her too late to help Wu Yin. Hoping that the sounds of battle wouldn't alert the Hellions deeper within the caves into doing something sudden.

She'd been fortunate to avoid being hit with anything too powerful. The Hellions were common street punks for the most part, and even their weapons were garbage compared to the things the Freaks used. Her confidence built as she took down thug after thug, and she almost had to laugh when one of them pulled a knife on her, of all things.

Swooping in to knock him out with a combo attack, she left herself open carelessly. The knife sliced down across her side, cutting a long gash in her suit, and going clean through her belt, sending it slipping to the ground.

Swearing quietly to herself, she knocked him out with a swift kick and snatched up the knife. Damned punks, she hadn't expected one of them to have a monofilament knife. Well, it was hers now. She took the Hellion's safety sheath and shoved the knife inside, and put it in her pouch for the moment before trying to adjust her belt so that it wasn't about to fall off again.

Sarah continued on. Down a long, twisting passage, an eerie reddish light flickered up ahead. Gutteral chanting in some long-forgotten tongue echoed through the caverns.

Above a circle of glowing runes, a man hovered, suspended in midair. His body twisted and contorted in agony as tendrils of dark energy twisted around him. Several Hellions stood in a ring around the chamber, arms raised as their voices called forth ancient evils. Something was happening, and Sarah didn't care to wait and find out what.

She leapt forward, soaring through the air over twenty feet from the tunnel mouth, and slammed into the victim. On impact with him, her belt slipped loose again and fell to the floor in the middle of the runed circle. Sarah and the man went tumbling to the ground on the far side of the cavern.

A burst of flames erupted from the center of the circle of runes, and an unearthly roar rumbled as the ground shook for a moment. And then all was still and quiet for a breath, and Sarah relaxed a little in relief at preventing whatever the Hellions had been trying to do.

"Meddling cape!" growled a Hellion.

"What have you done?!"

"You've ruined everything!"

No time to relax now. Sarah sprung into action to fight off the group of Hellions angry that their malicious prank had gone awry. She ducked quickly as hot flames shot above her head, then grabbed one nearby thug and hurled him toward the others, knocking two more of them down.

"Oh, my goodness..." murmured Mr. Yin from behind her.

"Keep down, Mr. Yin," Sarah said. "And stay back. I'll protect you."

Thankfully, Mr. Yin was sensible enough to stay out of the way, and the Hellions were quite pissed off at _her_ at the moment.

"You've made a big mistake, cape," spat one Hellion with a large tattoo across his entire face and bald head. "Hey, boys. What do you say we make _her_ our demonic vessel instead? Huh?"

"Don't even try it," Sarah snapped, narrowly missing him with a kick as he quickly sidestepped.

"This will be the last time you cross Demonfire!" He put his hands together and let forth a gout of wickedly hot flames, singeing her hair a bit as she ducked.

"Because I'm not letting you walk out of here again," Sarah said.

With a powerful kick, her foot impacted hard upon Demonfire's chest, sending him sprawling back accompanied by the sound of cracking ribs. Sarah moved in to finish him off, and didn't rest until the other Hellions were dead. She wasn't about to show mercy on people who preyed on innocents like this, and doubly didn't want to risk trying to get Mr. Yin out of here and having them wake up again to attack them from behind.

"You... You killed them all?" Mr. Yin said, tentatively poking his head out from behind a stalagmite where he'd been hiding.

Sarah nodded tersely. "Are you alright, Mr. Yin?"

"It still aches, but it's fading," Mr. Yin said. "I think I'm more shaken up than anything else..." He looked over her critically. "What about _you_? I'm surprised you're even still standing after all that, and you don't even look winded!"

Sarah chuckled softly. "Super powers, don't you know?" She grinned. She liked to act like it really was that easy, but she wasn't exactly made of steel, and bullets didn't bounce off of her. She just kept going despite all that because she was too damned stubborn to do otherwise. In reality, she was in a lot of pain herself at the moment from all the various injuries she had taken on the way in and from the fight with the Hellions' inner circle.

"My daughter..." Mr. Yin said. "Have you seen my daughter? Is she-"

Sarah held up a hand. "Penny's fine. I found her first and got her to safety."

"Oh, thank goodness," Mr. Yin said, breathing a sigh of relief.

She went over cautiously toward the center of the cave where the runic circle had been, and now was fading away, and snatched up her belt. It didn't look to have been damaged by the demonic flames that had burst forth, so she guessed that they hadn't been real flames.

"I've got something that belongs to you here," Sarah said. "I hope it hasn't been-" She pulled out the phone, illuminated by eerie red lights. "-damaged?"

* * *

Vanessa's words washed over Penny, half-heard as her mind wandered. Meditation was so boring. She wanted to be out helping Sarah save her father, not stuck here in a tent with Mom. She wanted to be a hero, and fight bad guys, and not just hide, and that was why she was here meditating, for whatever good that might do.

"Focus," Vanessa was saying. "Center yourself. Be one with the world around you. Be at harmony with the energies of the ethereal."

Yeah, yeah, whatever. Penny hoped that Sarah and Dad would be alright. If she concentrated enough, she almost thought she could see Sarah fighting her way through the Hellions' caverns. In her mind's eye, the heroine moved like a dancer in a deadly ballet. It was almost like martial arts, but not like any Penny had ever seen. Sarah fought quick and dirty to take any advantage she could, and her enemies frequently didn't see it coming.

"Penny," Vanessa said sharply. "Penny, are you paying attention?"

Penny snapped back to the here and now, scowling. "I really don't think this is helping." She folded her arms across her chest and looked away.

"You're not concentrating," Vanessa said.

"I could be concentrating perfectly fine if you didn't keep going on and on about ethereal nonsense," Penny said.

"Perhaps we should attempt a different approach," Vanessa said. "Try-"

Something dark touched the edges of Penny's mind. Her entire body tensed. Her blood burned in her veins, and her brain was on fire. She clutched her head and let out a scream as something forced its way into her mind like a knife.

"Penny!" Vanessa said, standing up in alarm and stepping hurriedly over toward her.

"Get... out... of... my... mind!" Penny gritted out between clenched teeth.

A cackling voice echoing in her head drew her down into darkness.

* * *

Mr. Yin took the phone from Sarah and looked over it uneasily. "They were trying to summon a demon. To possess me..."

"It looks like, when I interrupted the ritual, it wound up possessing the phone instead," Sarah said. "That's just lovely..."

The red lights on the phone went out and it resumed its normal appearance. Mr. Yin examined it closely, and then muttered something in Chinese that didn't sound particularly polite. "I think it contacted Penny. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear..."

"What are you talking about?" Sarah said. "Her connection is text-only. Is that really text or demons only?"

"I have no idea!" Mr. Yin said in a panic. "It says the last message was sent less than a minute ago, to Penny, but the message was blank... We have to get to her and make sure she's- she's... not possessed or- I don't even know!"

"Alright, alright," Sarah said with a sigh, gesturing for Mr. Yin to follow and heading for the tunnel. "I won't even pretend to understand how all this demon business actually works. Let's get out of here. Penny's in Overbrook right now."

"What's she doing over there?" Mr. Yin wondered.

"She's with her mother."

Mr. Yin stumbled in surprise. "What!? You exposed my precious daughter to that _witch_?"

"Now see here," Sarah snapped, looking toward Mr. Yin. "If it weren't for that _witch_, I would have never known where to find you, and you would have wound up as demon fodder for whatever malicious schemes these damned Hellions had planned!"

"Fine, but why did you have to drag Penny into it, and worse, leave her with that... that... woman?"

"We are not having this argument," Sarah said, trying to adjust her belt so that it wasn't about to fall off again. Why did she not wear an outfit that had belt loops? She was going to need to replace it or repair it, not to mention the damage to her suit that would need to be patched up as well. Between being burned, shot, and cut just on this job alone, it was a wonder that she didn't have to replace her suit after every mission.

Mr. Yin was quiet for the remainder of the trip out of the caves, for which Sarah was most grateful. She glanced aside at him and debated on whether she really wanted to try to carry _him_ across multiple suburbs. He was a fair bit larger and heavier than Penny, and even if she weren't, she wasn't entirely comfortable with getting quite that personal with him.

"Can you make your way to the tram station and to Overbrook from here?" Sarah asked.

Mr. Yin nodded. "I'll be fine. Go on ahead, and hurry!"

Sarah nodded tersely, and leapt away into the night.

* * *

Penny's feet hit the ground in a frantic rhythm as she ran. The monster was coming for her. It roared and rumbled and thundered, its enormous strides swallowing the ground behind her as fast as she could run. But no matter how far she ran, the eerie, bloody landscape never changed, and she never got any further away from the demon.

Her bare feet squished against pulsating flesh. The sky was full of eyes rather than stars, some of them shut, some blinking and looking to and fro, others staring impassively and menacingly. Surreal formations spired out of the ground, twisting into spirals or curves, some of them arching completely overhead.

A voice wafted on the wind, as if carried from a very long way away, calling her name again and again. She could hardly hear it over the pounding of footsteps and the snarling of the beast.

"Mom, is that you?" Penny said.

"Penny?" whispered the voice. "Penny, can you hear me?"

"I can hear you, Mom!" Penny said.

"It's no use," another voice murmured. "She can't hear us."

"No, wait!" Penny shouted. "I can hear you! Help me! Please, help me!"

If there came a reply, however, she could not hear it.

* * *

Sarah landed in the midst of the Carnival of Chaos without being bothered by the Freakshow on the way in, and rushed into Vanessa DeVore's tent without even pausing.

Penny lay on the floor of the tent, curled up in a fetal position and twitching a little now and then. Vanessa crouched beside her, hand on the girl's shoulder and gazing at her intently.

Sarah swore under her breath. "So the demon really did manage to get to her?"

"What happened with the Hellions?" Vanessa asked, glancing up at Sarah in alarm.

"I rescued Mr. Yin, but the Hellions finished their summoning ritual anyway, it seems," Sarah said. "And it apparently possessed his cell phone. Mr. Yin is on his way here now, by the way. Might want to have your Carnies make sure the Freaks don't kill him trying to get here."

Vanessa gave a short nod. "I feared that the presence of her implants would lead to something like this. Allowing direct access into your mind from outside is never a good idea, and no one even saw fit to warn her of the potential dangers before doing this to her. And all for the sake of convenience! Now do you see, Dancer in the Night? Do you see now the dangers of technology?"

Sarah opened her mouth to protest that that _wasn't_ her super name, that she didn't actually have one, but decided against arguing about it just now.

"Yes, I see that very well," Sarah said simply, finding it easier to just agree for the moment. "Is there anything we can do? You're supposed to be a powerful psychic, aren't you? Can't you, I don't know, get the demon out of there and kick it back to whatever hell it belongs in?"

"I'm afraid it is not quite that simple," Vanessa said. "I can enter her mind and battle the demon, yes, or enable someone else to do it instead. However, the person doing so much be someone that Penny trusts completely, as well as being capable and strong-willed. I'm afraid that right now, that person is you."

"Me?" Sarah said, raising an eyebrow. "Why would she trust _me_ more than her own mother? She just met me!"

"Much as it pains me to think that this is true, I cannot deny it, not for the sake of my daughter's wellbeing," Vanessa said. "You rescued her from the Hellions, and she has developed quite the case of hero worship for you. She wants to be like _you_, not like me. She was barely willing to listen when I attempted to teach her a little about how to control her powers."

Sarah sighed. "Fine. Then send me in and I will kick that monster's sorry butt back where it came from."

Some so-called heroes, Sarah was sure, would have just gotten Mr. Yin out of that cave, cashed in their bounty, and called it a day's work. Everything after that was simply extra, and she had no way of knowing if she was going to get any sort of reward whatsoever for it. But she didn't care. She wasn't about to stand by while a demon from some other dimension ravaged the mind of a poor young girl. What kind of a hero would that make her, anyway? Not the kind that she would care to be, that was certain.


	6. Penny's Thoughts

Penny couldn't keep up running forever. She was getting tired. There had to be someplace that she could hide somewhere around here. Something that could protect her and keep out the monster.

There! Up ahead there stood a castle like something out of a fairy tale. Solid stone walls promised to protect her, and as she approached, the portcullis raised and a drawbridge lowered across the moat to allow her entrance. She rushed inside, and once she was safely across, the drawbridge clattered up again and the portcullis slammed shut. She was safe.

Panting to catch her breath, Penny took a look around at her surroundings. The interior of the castle was comfortable and ostentatious, everything she might expect from a fantasy palace. Plush carpets were strewn across the floors, and ornate tapestries hung from the walls. The furniture was soft and rich enough that one could sink into it. Chandeliers with countless candles hung from every ceiling, illuminating everything in brilliant light.

Penny climbed up a spiral staircase leading into a high tower, and strode out onto a balcony to look out at the landscape around her. The monster was still growling and pacing about at the far side of the moat. If she wasn't careful, it was going to find some way across, and try to break into her castle. She couldn't let that happen. She needed more defenses.

Plants started growing rapidly on the other side of the moat, starting off as thorny vines and turning into an entangling hedge maze. The demon rumbled and tossed its head to and fro, then tried to throw itself at the hedge. Razor-sharp thorns like swords bit into its hide, and it pulled itself back hurriedly with a roar.

"You're not going to get me that easily, monster," Penny said, grinning as she leaned against the balcony railing and watched.

The beast snarled and paced about through the labyrinth, searching for a way through. It didn't seem nearly so scary from up here, safe behind these walls. And it would never, ever find a way through the labyrinth. Every time it might get close, the thorny plants could shift and regrow somewhere else, blocking the way in. No one was going to be able to get in that Penny didn't want inside.

Unfortunately, Penny thought as she turned to explore her palace a bit, even though it couldn't get in, she couldn't get out, either. She was safe in here, but now she was trapped. She sighed and went to make herself comfortable and find something to do to occupy herself. It seemed that she was going to be here a while.

* * *

If this was supposed to be Penelope Yin's mind, Sarah wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The sky, such as it was, was full of eyes, but all of them were closed as if asleep. The ground abounded with lush plant life, swaying pink and purple grasses, vibrant blue flowers.

Off in the distance, spiring high against the lavender sky, stood an old medieval castle of some sort. At the top of each tower fluttered a different colored banner, and each one extended in different directions as if they couldn't decide which way the wind was supposed to be going.

"Penny, your mind is weird," Sarah murmured as she headed toward the castle, the only obvious landmark in this surreal place.

As she approached the fortress, she realized that the place was guarded not merely by strong, stone walls, but by a vast hedge maze made up of lethal thorns. Penny must have filled her mind with whatever defenses she could spring into existence when it was invaded by the demon. Sarah could hear snarling and heavy footsteps tromping about inside the labyrinth.

Well, a maze wasn't going to stop _her_, that's for sure. Sarah leapt into the air from a standstill to get a good look at the twists and turns of the labyrinth from overhead before she went in. That was when she realized that the maze wasn't static. It kept constantly shifting and changing itself around to further confuse the demon. It would never find its way in like this.

Sarah leapt across the maze, over the castle walls, and came down for a solid landing in the courtyard next to a burbling fountain in the shape of a dolphin. Small trees bearing strangely shaped fruits grew about a small garden, and trellis adorned with flowering vines hung from the walls of the castle.

"Sarah!" Penny said, coming out running toward her and hugging her tightly. A frilly pink dress poofed out around Penny's body, and a conical hat with a silken streamer topped her head.

"Good to see you, too," Sarah said with a small smile. "How are you doing, kiddo?"

"I'm alright," Penny said. "I'm just glad you're here. My knight in shining armor!"

Sarah abruptly found herself clad in a suit of bright silvery plate armor. She scowled behind the full helmet. This was utterly impractical. It was heavy and difficult to move in.

"Penny?" Sarah said. "I don't think this is really suitable for me."

Penny blinked slowly at her. "Then why are you wearing it?"

"We're in _your_ mind right now," Sarah said. "I would imagine that it's because you thought of me like this, for whatever reason."

"What do you mean, we're in my mind?" Penny said. "You mean... this isn't real?"

"Well, I would imagine that it's real to _you_," Sarah said. "But it's no more physical than a dream."

Penny looked very confused, and Sarah sighed softly and tried to concentrate to reaffirm her identity in the mental construct. The unwieldy armor faded away, and she regained her usual appearance in black skin-tight leather once again. Something she was much more comfortable with.

"This is... a dream?" Penny said. "But are you really here then, or are you just another figment of my imagination?"

Even as she spoken, uncertainly, the walls of the castle wavered around them, turning translucent in some places and melting in others.

"Focus, Penny!" Sarah said firmly, grabbing her by her shoulders. "This is really me, and I'm really here. But just because it's a dream doesn't mean it's not real, in some sense of the word. And that demon really can and _will_ hurt you."

The castle shattered around them, towers melting like ice sculptures in the summer, walls dissolving like a sand castle in the tide, stones flying and disintegrating into violet sparks. Sarah swore under her breath and turned to face the demon as it roared and charged toward the two of them, now unimpeded by Penny's defenses.

Suddenly, every eye in the sky snapped open at once, and every last one of them was staring down at her. Sarah had no idea what that might represent, if anything, but it certainly seemed like she had _something's_ attention.

The monster was vaguely humanoid and stood at least ten feet tall, with massive horns curving out of its head like a bull. It reminded Sarah distinctly of a minotaur, of sorts.

Shoving Penny out of the way, Sarah met the creature in a thunderous clash. She had no idea how physical combat was supposed to work in a mindscape, but she really didn't care or want to stop to think too hard about it, either. All she knew was that she had to protect Penny somehow, and that she _would not fail_.

"You do not belong here, demon!" Sarah cried.

She landed moves upon the beast that there was no way she had the skill or power to accomplish in the waking world yet. A powerful kick to its leg resulted in a snapped shin, and a crushing uppercut knocked it into the air and sent it flying several feet back.

Penny scrambled to her feet, and the landscape started wavering again like a mirage in the desert. The area suddenly took on the appearance of a school classroom, and the demon was climbing to its feet again in front of a whiteboard at the far end of the room.

"Penny, this isn't helping," Sarah said quietly.

"Sorry," Penny murmured sheepishly.

Just because the terrain kept changing didn't mean there wasn't still an enemy to be fought here. Sarah nimbly leapt over the desks and chairs and landed a solid kick onto the demon.

The monster roared and let forth a ring of flames bursting from around its body, shattering the desks and sending them flying back. Penny ducked and covered her head with her arms, but fortunately none of them struck her. In fact, some of them very nearly veered off in midair to avoid hitting her.

Sarah bounced back over toward Penny to land in front of her protectively. "Are you alright, Penny?"

"I- I'm fine," Penny said.

The scene shifted again, this time to a chessboard under the eyes of a thousand spectators. Penny was the black king, and Sarah had shifted into the form of a black knight standing on the square in front of her. At the far end of the board, the red queen peered about with glowing red eyes.

"Penny..." Sarah said with a snort.

"Erm..." Penny said uneasily.

"You could at least have made me a queen, too," Sarah said.

"Oh. Um. Sorry."

Sarah chuckled softly and focused on her form. If this was the setting she was going to deal with, and if Penny could make the demon play by _her_ rules, then she was damned well going to be the most powerful piece on the board herself, too. Her form shifted, losing the horse-like appearance and taking on a crown instead. She wished that they had some more pieces on their side as well, but if this was how the game was going to be, then so be it.

The red queen moved forward, seeming very angry at being constrained to artificial limitations, growling and snarling all the way. Sarah danced around it, jumping to one square and another, preventing it from being able to checkmate the king and maneuvering it into a position where she could remove it from the board. While Sarah was hardly the best chess player in Panacea City or anything, the demon seemed to not understand how the rules worked at all. It moved into a position where it would be able to attack the king.

Sarah grinned a little as the demon walked right into her trap. She made her move, jumping diagonally across the board and landing upon the red queen's square. The black queen knocked the demon clear off the board, sending it flying off into the sky, roaring in rage as it went. The angry demonic sounds faded into silence, and the chessboard dissolved as the scene shifted to Penny's room in the Yins' apartment, the two of them returning to their normal forms along with it.

"You did it!" Penny exclaimed, running up and hugging Sarah.

Sarah smiled and hugged her back. "I'm just glad you're alright. Now why don't we wake up and get out of here? I'm sure your parents are worried about you, too."

"Um... wake up?" Penny said, scrunching up her face. "How, exactly?"

"Don't look at me," Sarah said, shrugging helplessly. "You're the one that's supposed to be a psychic here. I can _resist_ psychic powers, but I'm the wrong one to ask on how to actually _use_ them."

"I'm sure it can't be difficult or anything," Penny said. "I mean, it's just waking up. It's not like the demon is still out there. I can't even sense it anymore anywhere."

"That's good," Sarah said. "I'd hate to go through all of that and still have it messing around in your head. Good riddance to the thing, I say."

"Hmm," Penny said thoughtfully, striding over to the door. "Waking up should be as easy as just opening a door and stepping outside, right?" She opened the door and peered out at the stars beyond, with no ground. "After you?"

Sarah chuckled and stepped through, a little uneasy at what she could see outside. There was nothing underfoot, and she went falling, falling, falling...

* * *

Penny watched her hero fall into the starry expanse, then stepped through the door herself without any fear. Instead of really falling, she woke with a jolt back in her mother's tent in the Carnival of Chaos.

"Penny!" said Dad, hugging her tightly. "You're awake! Are you alright?"

She smiled a bit. "I'm fine, Dad. I'm just glad to see you are, too." She glanced aside to where Sarah was stirring, blinking slowly around her. "You okay over there, Black Queen?"

Sarah looked back at her with a touch of surprise, then looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. How about you, Dreamer?"

Penny had to smile at that. Dreamer? She liked that. _She_ could be a hero, too! She could learn to use her powers, and help to fight crime, and bring justice to bad people, and make the world a better place.

"It sounds like the two of you had quite the adventure," Mr. Yin said. "But it's high time that we be getting home." He looked to Sarah and nodded to her gratefully. "I will be certain to tell my employers about your deeds, and recommend a bonus as well."

Vanessa looked a little sad, and said, "I wish you well, both of you, and hope that you might come to visit sometime."

Dad glared at her sharply. "After what you pulled? Ever since you found that mask and ran off on your mad crusade with this Carnival of yours-"

"Dad!" Penny snapped. "There's no need to be rude! She helped save you, remember?"

Sarah added, "I'd like to point out that she also helped save your daughter, as well. If it weren't for her, I would have never been able to enter Penny's mind like that and oust the demon."

He sighed reluctantly. "Fine. You may have a point. But I still don't like it."

"Look, both of you," Sarah said. "I have no idea what really went on between you two. I'm sure nobody, not even Penny, expects you to get back together and have everything be sunshine and rainbows. I'm a super hero, not a marriage counselor. But the fact of the matter is, Penny needs to train her powers, and her mother's in the best position to do so."

"Bah," he muttered. "I don't trust those powers, and I was hoping that the implants would lock them away."

"Dad!" Penny said, looking at him in horror. How could he want to do such a thing? To his own daughter! Tears stung her eyes unbidden.

"You may well have at least partially succeeded at that," Vanessa said sadly, giving him a hard look. "Her abilities may be highly limited... while awake. But from what I have seen, she is capable of much more while asleep. However, I will not allow you to attempt to cripple _my daughter_ any further. I _will_ intervene this time, and I can only wish that I had known what you were doing in order to step in before and prevent this from happening."

Sarah rubbed her head. "I really hope you guys can work something out. Because I'd hate to wind up seeing a teenage girl walking through Freakshow-infested neighborhoods by herself just because she wanted to see her mother." She nodded to them, and left the tent.

"Come on, Penny," Mr. Yin said. "Let's... Let's go home." He sighed, looking at her tear-stained face. "Maybe, I suppose, if you really want to... you can come and visit your mother. On weekends. If you're good and get all your homework done."

Penny hugged him briefly, then went over to hug her mother. "I'll be back. I promise. I'll even try to learn to meditate properly!"

"All that can be asked of you is that you try," Vanessa said gently, smiling at her and hugging her back. "I'm sure we can find some methods that will work for you."

Penny stepped out of the tent after Mr. Yin and looked up at the overcast sky. It was starting to grow gray in the pale light of dawn, and the smell of fresh rain still hung in the air. Today was a good day, Penny thought.


	7. Epilogue

"How'd you like your birthday present, Black Queen?" Penny's voice came over the headset, the text-to-voice making it sound only a little stilted.

"It's not my birthday, Dreamer," Sarah replied with a fond smirk.

"Late Easter present?"

Sarah chuckled as she pulled on her gloves. "You don't traditionally give presents at Easter."

"Oh, whatever it is, I don't care," Penny said.

"It's nice," Sarah said, adjusting the headset a little. "Voice to text and back? I think you just wanted someone to talk to you all the time, even while you're asleep."

"Mom said it would help to develop my psychic powers," Penny said.

Sarah climbed out up to the roof of her apartment building. "I'm glad you and your mom are getting on more."

"Dad didn't really like it at first," Penny said. "He'd rather encourage me to hang out with you, instead. Well, I'm not going to complain about that, either."

"He bought this headset, didn't he," Sarah said.

"Yup," Penny said. "So what are you doing tonight?"

Sarah took a bounding leap off the top of the building and into the night.

"Just some cleanup," Sarah said into the headset. "Some pockets of Hellions that haven't gotten the clue yet that their leader is dead and they're out of the game."

She landed in front of a warehouse on the south side of Keyes Park. There was no sign of light in the windows, and she would think that it were abandoned if she didn't have information that said otherwise.

"I can see you..." Penny said.

"What do you see?" Sarah asked.

"You're in front of a building," Penny said. "There's Hellions inside. About two dozen of them. Look like they're having a grand old party. You'd think they wouldn't have much to celebrate, right now."

"Hmm, odd," Sarah murmured. "Although, knowing some of these idiot gangs, they'll take any excuse to party, or just do it for no reason at all."

"Say, wait," Penny said. "There's one of those guys with demonic powers in there. The ones who can throw fire around. Maybe he's trying to take over as their new leader."

"Thanks for the tip-off, Dreamer. I'll put these guys out of business in short order."

"This is great," Penny said. "Now I can be your sidekick!"

Sarah just chuckled softly to herself and headed into the warehouse to get started on the Hellions. She would have objected to the girl putting herself in harm's way, but this sort of partnership, she could get behind. She certainly couldn't complain of having a psychic watching her back, and it would be good practice for Penny, too.

Sometimes, even heroes needed friends.


End file.
